UAB Surges Past Marshall, 63-57

Saturday, January 11

Huntington, W. Va.

12:00 PM

UAB

Marshall

UAB Surges Past Marshall, 63-57

1/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Jan. 11, 2014

Box Score | Box Score

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. - A strong second half propelled the UAB women's basketball team to its first Conference USA win, defeating Marshall, 63-57. It was the Blazers' first conference win of the season.

"It was a great road win for our team," said head coach Randy Norton. "In the first half, we weren't making our shots like we want to. We were shooting 27 percent, but we came back in the second half and shot 57 percent. We have talked all year long about next play and that you need to continue to play for 40 minutes. I felt like our girls did that today and found a way to win. I am really proud of them."

UAB (9-6, 1-1 C-USA) put up 41 points in the second half to overcome a 13-point deficit that left the Blazers trailing at the break. Marshall (7-8, 0-2 C-USA) opened the game with an 8-2 run to take the early lead.

The Herd put together another 8-0 run later in the half to take its largest lead, 19-6, at the 8:57 mark. Senior Karisma Chapman kept the Blazers close with 13 points in the first half. Chapman finished with 25 points and added 11 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double.

The Blazers got things going with a 13-5 run of their own that was kicked off by a three from junior Miranda Burroughs to cut the lead to three, 25-22, heading into the half.

Out of halftime, UAB pushed the tempo with a 9-2 run to take its first lead of the game, 31-27. The Herd countered with 10-straight points, including two threes from leading scorer AJ Johnson, who finished with 15 points.

The teams then exchanged the lead several times and tied the game up three times, until UAB took a 47-46 lead at the 7:45 mark that it would not relinquish. Senior Ashley Grimes helped push the Blazers past the Herd, scoring 13 of her 15 points in the second half. Grimes also had a career-high nine rebounds, dished out five assists and had three steals on the afternoon.

Sophomore Chelsee Black added 11 points, all in the second half, off of three 3-pointers and two key free throws in the final minute that put the Blazers up 62-56 with 46 seconds remaining.

UAB really attacked the basket in the second half, scoring 22 points in the paint. The Blazers also won the battle on the boards, finishing with 44 rebounds, 32 of which came on the defensive end.

The Blazers will remain on the road in conference play, as they face Tulsa this Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. CT.

For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For women's basketball news, follow @UAB_WBB.